Automatic roll feed



'Nov. 4, 1941. B. A. TETZLAFF 2,261,703

AUTOMATIC ROLL FEED Filed Aug. 3, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l NOV. 1941- B. A. TETZLAFF AUTOMATIC ROLL FEED Filed Aug. 3, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT] OFFICE AUTOMATIC ROLL FEED! Benjamin Tetzlaff, Riverside, Ill. Application August 3, 1940, Serial No. 350,470

12 Claims.

novel automatic roll feed. and an adjustable release mechanism therefor including an adjustable trip-arm attached to the ram of the press.

Among the objects of my invention is the provision, in a press-driven roll feed having constantly rotating feed rolls, of an automatically operable adjustable release mechanism including an adjustable cam-plunger operatively associated with the ram of the press adapted for arresting the feeding movement of the stock at predetermined intervals of the uninterrupted operation of the press.

Another object of my invention resides in the provision of a novel roll feed having upper and lower feed rolls which are, during the operation of the press, constantly rotated by the press, and wherein the upper roll is mounted, at both ends thereof, on spring-pressed vertically movable bearings which are adapted to be simultaneously raised by a novel release mechanism to thereby raise the upper roll of the stock to permit operation of the press upon the stock during its stationary position including means to permit lowering of the upper roll into frictional contact with the stock to cause a forward feeding movement of the stock.

Other novel features of my invention include the following:

A novel feed-release mechanism for the roll feed for arresting the movement of a strip of material including a cam shaft extending under each end-supporting bearing of the upper feed roll, and link and arm means operatively interconnecting said shafts;

An adjustable contact arm on the feed adapted to be engaged and moved by a vertically adjusta-ble operator, carried by the press ram, for

operating the upper feed roll cam shafts to thereby lift the upper feed roll into feed-arrested position; and

The novel feed-release operator consisting of a pair of upper and lower longitudinally aligned elongated portions, the upper supporting portion being vertically adjustable relatively to its support, and the lower cam portion being fixed against longitudinal movement relatively to its upper supporting portion but rotatively adjustable about its longitudinal axis relativelyto the upper portion.

With the above and other objects in View, my invention consists in the novel combination, construction and arrangement of the parts and members shown in preferred embodiment in the attached drawings, described in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a part of punch press showing an end view of a rollfeed embodying my invention; I

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the roll feed;

' Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 55 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a part vertical section takenon line 66 of Fig. 2, showing the feed rolls in operative stock-feeding position; and

Fig. '7 is a part vertical section of the supports for the rolls shown in the left-hand portion of the illustration in Fig. 6 and showing the lefthand cam shaft rotated into roll-lifting position. I

Referring to the several illustrations in the attached drawings, Ill indicates generally a portion of a punch press having a fly-wheel H mounted on the crank shaft l2. An interchangeable sprocket I3 is removably mounted on one end of the crank shaft l2 and transmits rotary power by means of the chain drive M to an interchangeable sprocket l5 removably mounted on the feed drive shaft IS.

A tightener for the drive chain [4 is provided which consists of an arm I! pivotally mounted on the tighter shaft [8.

The chain tightener shaft l 8 is adjustably supported near one end thereof in a split bearing l9 provided with a tightening screw 20 for securing the shaft in proper stationary adjusted position.

The lower end of the chain tightener arm IT, as shown in Fig. l, is adapted to be adjustably clamped to the free end of the shaft [8 and at such lower end carries a rotatable sprocket Zlfor the drive chain l4 which passes through an open portion in the arm I! and thence under the sprocket 22 which is rotatably mounted on the opposite end of the arm H.

The feed drive shaft I6 is rotatably mounted in a pair of bearings 23 formed integrally with the base 24 of the feed.

Under the removable housing cap 25 which is secured to the base 24, as by screws 26, is a bevel pinion 2'! which is secured to the feed drive shaft [6 and operatively in mesh with a bevel gear 28 secured to the shaft extension 29 of the lower feed roll 30.

Mounted adjacently to the bevel gear 28, and

rigidly secured to the lower feed roll shaft extension 29, is a spur gear 3| which is arranged to be in constant mesh with the spur gear 32 rigidly connected to one end of the; shaft extension 33 of the upper feed roll 34.

The opposite end of the lower feed roll 36 is supported on the shaft extension 29 and the similar end of the upper feed roll 34- is supported on theshaft extension 33 The shaft extensions of the lower feed roll are rotatably mounted in the cast base 24, but the shaft extensions 33 and 33 of the upper feed r011 are mounted in vertically movable bearings 35 having central upstanding integral studs 36 disposed within the lower ends of the coil springs 31.

The two coil springs 31 are mounted within the inverted cups 38 of the feed cap casting 39. These springs 31 exert pressures on top of the bearing 35 to normally retain the upper feed roll in operative or stock-feeding position.

The pressure of the. springs 31- upon the upper feed roll is adjustable through the screws 46 which are threaded into the top of the cup portions 38 and the lower ends of these screws 46 abut with washers 4| which are positioned on the upper ends of the springs 31.

Lubrication of the upper feed roll shaft extensions and bearings 35 is supplied from the cups 42 which discharge the lubricant through central passages in the screws 40, the lower ends of which are provided with tubular extensionsv 43 disposed within the lubricant-retaining, cups 44 which are mounted upon the studs 36 and discharge the lubricant through suitable passages in the. studs 36 to lubricate the shaft. extensions and bearings of. the upper feed roll 34.

The cap casting 39 is secured to the base 24 by screws 45.

A resilient brake and guide for the stock which is to be passed through the feed is provided, as shown in Figs, l, 2, 3 and 5, and consists of a vertically adjustable. platform 46 in the form of a flat bar having depending pins 4'! adjustably secured to the base 24 by screws 48. The stock to be fed from a reel is passed over the bar platform 46 under a brake plate 52 mounted on top of the bar 46 and having screws 49 with heads disposed beneath the-lower face of the bar 46 and wing type tightening nuts 56 exerting pressure upon the upper ends of the coil springs 5|, the lower ends of which springs press the brake plate 52' against the material or stock to be fed to thepress toinsure against any lateral shift or movement of the stock when the upper feed roll 34 is raised to arrest the feedin of the stock during the operation of press upon the stock.

Laterally adjustable guiding means for the stock passing through the feed is provided in the tWo metal blocks 53 which are slidably adjustably mounted on the bar 46. These guide blocks 53 are adapted to be adjusted at both sides of the stock and screws 54 are provided for securing said blocks to the bar 46 in desired adjusted positions.

As shown in Figs. 3, 5, 6 and 7, the upper feed roll bearings 35 are supported within vertical slots of the base 24 and rest on the recessed portions 55 of the two roll-lifting shafts 56 which extend transversely to the axes of the feed rolls for oscillatory movement within the base 24.

Both of the roll-lifting shafts 56 are arranged to extend outwardly of one end of the feed for connection thereto of the oscillatable arms 51, the free ends of which extend into pivotal conmotion. with the forked ends of the connecting link 58 To permit manual release of the upper feed roll from frictional stock-feeding contact with the stock, as for example during the initial adjustment and insertion of the stock into proper position in the feed, I provide a manually operable arm 59 which is pivotally mounted on the outer end of a pin 66 secured within the ear 6| formed integrally with the cap casting 39.

The inner end of the manual release arm 59 carries a rotatable roller 62 which is arranged to ride upon an. angularly disposed portion of the link 58 and when the manual release arm 59 is raised, as shown by the broken lines in Fig. 1, the roller 62 will exert pressure upon the link 58 to cause it to shift to the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, thereby oscillating the arms 51 and the cam shafts 56.

The partial rotation of the roll-lifting cam shafts 56 will cause the corners of the recessed portions 55 to raise the bearings 35 so that the upper roll 34 which is supported thereon will be raised or moved upwardly from the lower roll against. the pressure of the springs 31 to thereby disengage its contact with the stock,

To positively lock the upper roll 34 in the described manually raised position, I provide a shallow arcuate recess 63 within the lower end portion of, the angular top edge of the link 58 and this recess 63 is adapted to receive the roller 62 to thus retain the arm 59 in raised position until such arm 59 is forcibly moved into lowered position.

The automatic roll release operation and the novel features of construction associated therewith are illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4. A split clamp-like arm 64 is frictionally, or otherwise, secured to the end extension of one of the cam shafts 56 by a tightening nut 65 on the adjustable contact screw 66. Formed integrally with the cap casting 39 is a rectangular hollow support 61 which extends outwardly of the side of the feed above the arm 64.

Pivotally mounted on pin 68 of support 61 is a centrally slotted operating arm 69 which carries within its slot a roller 16 and has a depending end H which is adapted, upon oscillating movement of the operating arm 69, to engage with the end of the screw 66 of the arm 64 to move the arm 64 and cause partial rotation of the cam shaft 56 connected therewith.

Cooperating with the roller 10 mounted on the pivoted operating arm 69 and spaced from the roller 10, is a guide roller 12 which is rotatably mounted within the support 61 on the pin I3 Securely mounted on the front face of the press ram I4 is a supporting plate 15 which is provided with a pair of spaced integral extensions 16 adapted to receive therebetween the release plunger .supporting arm 11 which, is pivotally adjustably supported on the ram plate extensions 16."

The release plunger 18 consists of an upper threaded tubular portion BI and a lower separate cam portion 19 of rectangular cross-section formed by the decrease in effective widthof the bottom portion 80 thereof.

The threaded tubular portion 8| is vertically adjustable through its threaded connection within the outer end of the arm 11 and is provided with a lock nut 82 for locking the plunger 18 in proper vertically adjusted position.

, While some degree of lateral adjustment of the plunger 18 is afforded in the pivotal support of the' arm 11, additional lateral adjustment of the cam portion 19 is afforded in the employment'of a cylindrical connecting rod 83 which extends within the threaded tubular portion 8| into a cylindrical recess within the upper end of the cam portion 19 and to which end it is connected by the transverse pin 84.

The upper end of the connecting rod 83 is provided with a head 85, and beneath this head 85 is a lock nut 86 which is mounted on the up per end of the threaded tubular portion 8|.

Assuming that the arm 11 has been properly angularly.- adjusted, and that the plunger 18 has been properly vertically adjusted and locked in such adjusted position by the lock nut 82, the operative face of the cam portion 19 may then, upon loosening of the lock nut, 86, be properly adjusted relatively to the roller 18, since such cam portion 19 is rotatable with its connecting rod 83 independently of the threaded portion 8!. When the cam portion is properly adjusted thelock nut 86 may be tightly drawn against the head 85 to lock the cam portion 19 in such adjusted position. It will now be readily apparent that the feeding of the stock for die-stamping operation by the press ram may be accurately controlled by the novel operative features of the feed and the novel coating release mechanism.

In die-stamping and forming operations the feeding of the stock must be intermittent to allow for the performance of such operations and to insure feed of the right length of the part desired. As the stock feeds only when the rolls are in contact with the stock, and the feeding stops the instant the contact is brokenQthe intermittent feeding is accomplished automatically by lifting the upper feed roll off the stock at any predetermined point during the down-stroke of the press, and holding it off the stock until the same point in the up-stroke has been reached, when the rolls become again operative to feed the stock.

It should be noted that the constant uninterrupted rotation of the two feed rolls 38 and 34, during both feeding movement and arrested stationary position of the stock, is attained through the constant uninterrupted operative connection existing between the roll drive gears SI and 32, that is, the feed-released or lifted operation of the press'and constant rotation of the feed rolls.

I claim: 1.. In a press having a reciprocable die-supporting ram and. a roll feed adapted for frictionally engaging and feeding a strip of material for die-stamping operation by said ram, said feed including an upperfeed roll, a lower feed r011; driven rotatable cam means for constantly rotating said feed. rolls, and'means for moving one'of said feed rolls away from the other of said feed rolls'to release the frictional material-movingcontact of said rolls with said strip of material'to thereby arrest the movement of the strip of material, the combination with said rotatable cam nieans for moving one of said rolls, of reciprocating cam means adjustably supported on said ram for intermittently actuating said rotatable cam means for moving one of said rolls to arrest the -movement of saidstrip, said reciprocable cam-means being adjustable relatively to said rotatable cam means whereby the length of the strip of material fed to the press may be varied.

2. In a press having a reciprocable die-supporting ram and a roll feed adapted for frictionally engaging and intermittently feeding a strip of material for die-stamping operation by saidram, aid feed including an upper feed roll, a lowerfeed roll, power-driven means for constantly rotating said feed rolls, and means for moving one of said feed rolls away from the other of said feed rolls to release the frictional contact of said rolls with said strip of material and therea by arrest the movement of the strip of material,

movement of the upper feed roll 34 is only of such predetermined intervals during the uninterrupted thecombination with said ram, of a laterally adjustable support ohsaid ram, and a cam carried by and vertically adjustable relatively to said support adapted to intermittently actuate said means for moving one of said rolls to arrest the movement'of said strip.

' 3. A'roll feed adapted for intermittently feeding a strip of material to a press having a reciprocable ram, said roll feed comprising a lower feed roll, an upper companion feed roll, means operatively interconnecting and continuously rotating said rolls in relative opposite directions, resilient means exerting pressure upon said upper feed roll whereby said strip material, which is disposed between said rolls, will be advanced by frictional rotary engagement thereof by said rolls, automatically operable means adapted for simultaneously lifting both ends of said upper feed roll against the pressure of said resilient means tothereby disengage said upper feed roll -from frictionally moving the strip material and thereby arrestthe movement of the strip during the continuous operative interconnection and rotation of said rolls, and adjustable means carried by and movable with said press ram for intermittently actuating said upper feed roll lifting means. v

4. A roll feedadapted for intermittently feeding a strip of material to a press, or the like, having a reciprocating ram, s'aid roll feed comprising a lower feed 'roll, an upper companion feed roll, means operatively interconnecting said rolls during their continuous rotation in relatively opposite directions, means exerting pressure upon one of said feed rolls whereby said strip of material, which is disposed between said rolls, will be advanced by frictional engagement by said rolls, means for simultaneously moving both ends of one of said rolls to bodily move such roll to release said rolls from their frictional feeding movement of said strip and thereby arrest the movement of said strip during the con tinuous operative interconnection and rotation of said rolls, and a vertically adjustable member carried by said press ram for intermittently actuating said roll moving means.

5. A roll feed as embodied in claim 4 and including said vertically adjustable member comprising an upper, vertically adjustable portion having a feed-release cam portion which is fixed against longitudinal movement relatively to said upper portion but rotatably adjustable relatively to said vertically adjustable upper portion.

6. A roll feed as embodied in claim 4 and wherein said means for bodily moving one of said rolls includes a cam at each end of such roll, means operatively interconnecting said cams for simultaneously moving said cams, an arm connected to one of said cams, and wherein said vertically adjustable member includes a vertically adjustable elongated portion and a cam portion for intermittently moving said arm, rotatably supported on said vertically adjustable elongated portion.

7. A roll feed as embodied in claim 4 and wherein said means for bodily moving one of said rolls comprises an oscillatable cam shaft for each end of such roll, an arm fixed to each of said cam shafts, and a link connecting said arms, and another arm fixed to one of said cam shafts adapted to be intermittently engaged by said vertically adjustable member whereby both of said cam shafts are intermittently oscillatable to move said roll.

8. A roll feed as embodied in claim 4 and including power-driven means, for operating said means operatively interconnecting said rolls during their continuous rotation in relatively opposite directions, comprising a power-driven sprocket on the press, a sprocket operatively connected to said means operatively interconnecting said rolls, a chain belt operatively connecting said sprockets, and a tightener for said chain belt comprising a pivotally supported adjustable arm having a pair of sprockets thereon, said arm being adapted to engage and tighten said chain belt upon pivotal adjustment of the tightener arm.

9. A feed-release operator for a roll feed adapted for feeding a strip of material to a diecarrying reciprocating ram of a press, or like machine, said ram carrying a support and said roll feed including means for arresting the movement of said strip of material during the operation of said die-carrying ram upon said strip; said feedrelease operator comprising a vertically adjustable exteriorly threaded tubular member having threaded engagement with said ram support, means for securing said tubular member in adjusted position on said support, a cam below said tubular member and carried by said tubular member, said cam having an extension extending through said tubular member and being rotatably adjustable relatively to said tubular member, and means for securing said cam in adjusted position relatively to said tubular member.

10. In a press having a reciprocable die-supporting ram and a roll feed adapted for frictionally. engaging and feeding a strip or material for die-stamping operation by said ram, said feedincluding an upper feed roll, a lower feed roll, driven means for constantly rotating said feed rolls, and means for moving one of said feed rolls to release the frictional contact of said rolls with said strip of material, the combination with said ram, of a support on said ram, and a cam carried by said support adapted to intermittently actuate said means for moving one of said rolls to arrest the, movement of said strip, said cam comprising an elongated vertically disposed plunger having an upper portion screw-threaded within said support for relative vertical adjustment, and a lower cam portion carried bysaid upper portion, said lower cam portion being adjustably rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the plunger, independently of said upper portion, into proper operating positon relatively to said means for moving one of said rolls.

11. A roll feed adapted for intermittently feeding a strip of material to a press having a reciprocable ram, said roll feed comprising a lower feed roll, an upper companion feed roll, means. operatively interconnecting and continuously rotating said rolls in relative opposite directions, resilient means exerting pressure upon said upper feed roll whereby said strip material, which is disposed between said rolls, will be advanced by frictional rotary engagement thereof by said rolls, means adapted for simultaneously lifting both ends of said upper feed roll against the pressure of said resilient means to thereby disengage. said upper feed roll from the strip material and arrest the movement of the strip during the continuous operative interconnection and rotation of said rolls, and means carried by said press ram for intermittently actuating said upper feed roll lifting means, said upper roll lifting means ineluding a vertically movable bearing for each end of said upper feed roll, a movable cam under each of said bearings, means operatively interconnecting said cams for simultaneously moving said cams, an arm connected to one of said cams, and wherein said actuating means carried by said press ram comprises a vertically adjustable cam adapted to intermittently move said arm.

12. A feed-release operator for a roll feed adapted for feeding a strip of material to a die.- carrying reciprocating ram of a press, or like machine, said ram carrying a support and said roll feed including means for arresting the movement of said strip of material during the operation of said die-carrying ram upon said strip; said feed-release operator comprising a member vertically adjustable relatively to said ram support, means for securing said member in adjusted position on said support, a cam below said member and carried by said member, said cam being rotatably adjustable relatively to said member, and means for securing said cam in adjusted position relatively to said member.

BENJAMIN A. TETZLAFF. 

